


all the clovers and the horseshoes too

by orphan_account



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: Alternate Universe - Stardew Valley, Beheaded Cousins, F/F, Gen, We Are Going to Take This Idyllic but Isolated Small Town and Make It a Healing Experience
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:55:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22468249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The Howard family farm has lain untouched for years; at least, until its owner's untimely death.And so Kay Howard finds herself with a one-way ticket to Stardew Valley, the deed to an old farm, and town entirely too small to fit the mysteries of its residents.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter 1 - arrival

**Author's Note:**

> because is there anything better for depression than an idealized fictional pastoral lifestyle? **synth keys** yeah coming to address your trauma in a safe space and growing into yourself!
> 
> i just want to preface this fic by noting a couple things: firstly, that i’m new to musicals and to six, so if i’ve made a faux pas somewhere, somehow, let me know and give me time to learn.
> 
> secondly, i am very, very californian; stardew valley is set in a fictional world and i’m sticking with that in the interest of not losing myself on wikipedia trying to make american english make sense, but i try not to use americanisms when i can. i’ll do my best not to be disrespectful or butcher the slang/lingo/dialect, but correct me if you see anything i can improve or if you think i should just go with what i know.
> 
> anyway, read on and please enjoy!

Kay's bus rumbled to a smoke-belching stop an hour out from the Valley. 

She’d been enjoying watching the scenery roll by. Zulu City was an ugly sprawl of grime, but when it was a distant speck nestled between rolling fields and viciously green forests, Kay could almost bear to call it beautiful.  
  
She had music in her ears, a great view, and the entire bus, all to herself. It was as close to perfect as Kay knew.

Then the bus screeched, choked, and spasmed like a dying beast. The driver pulled hard on the wheel, dragging the sputtering vehicle off the road and throwing Kay into the window with it. 

Kay straightened and yanked her earbuds out as the driver let loose a stream of curses that would make a sailor blush. The bus lurched. Kay clung to her seat, her pulse thundering in her ears. Without her earbuds the bus’s once-comforting rumble was too loud, near overstimulating. Its dying throes jarred her right to the bone.

The bus sagged to a stop, its doors swinging open with a hiss. The driver slapped the dashboard and let out one last curse.

Kay jumped. The driver turned with an apologetic shrug.

“Sorry Miss. I don’t think she’ll be running any time soon.”

“Oh. So that means… we’re stranded?”

Kay knew what she’d do if she were in the city. She would pull up Maps and find the nearest station, make her way from there. She could call an Uber, hail a cab, or throw it all to the wind and walk. Those weren’t options out in the middle of nowhere.

Being alone on the bus didn’t feel so nice anymore. There were no other vehicles on the road — where would they get help? Failing vehicles sometimes caught on fire. Would theirs? Who would care if Kay never made it to Pelican Town? She didn’t really have friends in Zulu. A few coworkers who might wonder about her after a few weeks, sure, but no one who’d miss her. 

Anne. Would Anne care? 

The driver mopped at her face. “I’ll phone in to my station, see if they can’t get a tow to haul us the rest of the way to the Valley, but if you’ve someone waiting for you there, well — now’s the time to call ‘em.”

“I’ll do that, thank you,” Kay managed over her hammering heart. Ridiculous. She was being ridiculous. Of course the bus would have a system in place for something like this. People had vehicle problems all the time!

Silly Kitty. Overreacting, as always. 

The bus driver turned back to her dashboard. Kay yanked her earbuds out of her phone and tapped Anne’s name with shaky fingers. 

The phone chimed and went straight to dial tone. Kay checked the screen — no signal. 

Okay. Kay gnawed her lip and glanced up at the driver. The poor woman was barking into the receiver of a blocky flip phone with much-tried patience, looking for all the world as though she was seconds away from chucking the thing out the doors of the bus. 

Kay swiped her messages open. One more try. One more, and if this didn’t go through, she’d ask the driver to borrow her phone. The flip phone might’ve looked like it belonged in the last century, but at least her service was still intact. 

**Text Message**

_Today 14:10_

_Anne?_

The text bubble was blue. Kay breathed a sigh of relief and tapped out another message.

_Anne my bus broke down the driver said she’d try to get us to the valley but i wanted you to know just in case_

Grey. Kay paused. She tapped the screen. The text refused to go through no matter how urgently Kay tapped, until, after four attempts at re-sending the message, Kay gave up.

If there was anything to be grateful for in this situation, it was that Kay was the only passenger on the bus. No one had to watch Kay dither three rows behind the driver’s station, trying to work up the courage to say two very simple words. 

“Um… excuse me?” 

The driver jumped in her seat. Kay’s shoulders tensed, but the driver’s weary, lined face was gentle when she turned.

“Goodness, but you’re a quiet one!” She paused and blinked up at Kay. Whatever she saw in her face made her tone kinder. “What is it, dear?” 

“My phone — ah, I tried calling my cousin in the Valley, but I’m afraid I don’t have any signal. Would it be alright if I borrowed…?” 

“Oh, of course, of course.” The driver handed Kay her phone. It was scuffed and still damp from the driver’s crushing grip, but Kay clung to it like a lifeline. 

“Thank you, thank you so much—” 

“It’s perfectly alright. My station’s sent a tow. It’ll be a while, but if you can’t get a hold of your cousin, you can ride along with us to town.” The driver smiled. “It’ll be alright, dear.” 

“Yes—” Kay said. There was a knot in her throat. “Yes, thank you.” 

She dialed Anne’s number and swallowed a sob when Anne answered on the third ring. 

_“Oi, who’s this? How’d you get this number?”_

“Anne!”

_“Who the — Kitty?”_ Anne’s voice was tinny. Kay could barely make her out. _“This isn’t your number!”_

Kay put a hand over the receiver. “Is it alright if I put the speaker on?” she whispered. The driver nodded. “Thank you, thanks so much—” 

_“—aw your text — did somethin’ happen? Kit, hello? You still there?”_

“I’m here, I’m here. I had to borrow a phone — the bus broke down, Anne."

_“Wait, what?”  
_

“I’m stranded until a tow can come...” _  
_

_“Where? Shit, I’ll come get you, just give me a second—”_

There was a loud clatter.

_“I’m going out!”_ An unfamiliar voice rumbled through the speakers, indistinct. _“God, I don’t care if we’re still open, Maggie! No one comes in outside of appointments anyway. We can close early if it’s that much of a problem. You’re free to go — find Aragon and tell her to meet me by the museum!”_

The phone crackled. Kay winced and held it away from her ear. 

_“Sorry ‘bout that.”_ Anne’s voice was a little breathless. _“Listen, I’m gonna borrow a car. Where are you?”_

“Um…” 

“We’re about an hour out, between the Valley sign and Forest Fields Services,” the driver chimed helpfully.

_“That the one with the papered-up storefront?”_

“Mmhm. You can’t miss us if you follow the road out of Pelican Town, through the tunnel.” 

_“Alright, thanks so much. Kitty, just give me like, ten minutes and I’ll grab that car. I’ll ring again if I haven’t gotten you in an hour.”_  
  
“Drive safe, Anne—”

_“Always do, Kit, always do. Sit tight — I’ll be there soon.”_

The line clicked. 

Kay stared at the phone and passed it wordlessly to the driver, who took it with a smile. 

“Listen, I can’t thank you enough—”

“It’s alright, really.” The driver slapped the wheel. “Settle in and relax, dear. You’ll be off this old wreck before you know it.” 

* * *

Ten and a half songs later, an unfamiliar blue car slashed across the empty road and pulled to a stop before the bus. Anne stepped out, spitting curls from her face, a white lab coat draped around her shoulders. For the second time that day Kay yanked her earbuds out and leapt up from her seat. 

“Anne!” 

The scratched, greasy windows did little to dim Anne’s red-painted smile. She rushed onto the bus, coat billowing, and pulled Kay into a hug. 

She had to reach up to do it. With a start, Kay realized she was taller than Anne now. She hadn’t noticed at the funeral. 

Anne stepped away a mischievous twinkle in her dark eyes. “Your chariot awaits, Lady Howard. Just so you know, I also moonlight as an Uber, so I hope you don’t mind carpool.” 

“Where’d you get the car? I thought you only had a bike!” 

“Borrowed it from a friend. You’ll meet her in town, I promise.” Anne turned to the driver. “I didn’t have a chance to do it properly over the phone, but thank you so much again for your help—” 

“Oh, you’re very welcome,” laughed the driver. “Between you and your cousin, I’ve been thanked more this past hour than I have my whole career! Come on now, get — I’m sure the two of you are ready for a hot meal and a nap. I know I am.” 

She waved them off the bus with Kay’s luggage. Anne hauled most of it into the car’s trunk despite Kay’s protests and even held the passenger door open with an excessive flourish. 

“New company policy,” Anne said, _sotto-voice_. “Instead of paying us drivers a living wage, we’re to lay the hospitality on thick so customers tip us enough to cover our petrol expenses.” 

Kay couldn’t help it; she giggled. The stress of the day seemed to melt away. The constant, twisting anxiety knotting her gut eased its grip. Despite the distance, despite how long it had been since the last time they’d spent any significant amount of time together, some things never changed.

Anne always knew how to bring a smile to her face.

“Plug your aux cord in and play something loud, or I’ll fall asleep driving.” Anne rolled her eyes. “Radio’s crap out here and Cathy only has audiobooks ‘cuz she’s got coffee for blood and physically can’t fall asleep at the wheel. If only the rest of us could be so lucky.” 

“You want to give _me_ the aux cord? Even though you hate my taste in music?”

“I don’t hate it, I just don’t get it. I mean, Britney?” 

“I like her, she’s a good mum!” 

“You not sayin’ a thing about her music makes my point for me, Kit.” 

“Be nice!” 

Like that, Kay’s new life began: laughing side-by-side with her favorite cousin, bass pulsing through the speakers of a borrowed car, with the deed of the Howard family farm a welcome weight in her pocket.


	2. the goddamn consumption

“I know it looks bad right now,” Anne said. “But it’ll be better in the morning, promise.” 

Kay only stared. 

The farm _—_ God, where to begin? 

Kay hadn’t expected a manicured estate with rolling strawberry fields or orchards dripping with fruit when she booked her ticket to the Valley, but this was just ridiculous. 

The Cindersap Forest had swallowed up everything but the farmhouse. Kay wasn't sure where the forest ended and where her property began. Fallen branches and weeds choked the fields, and though the area near the farmhouse's porch was clearer, the farm was so overrun that in the early evening light it seemed an endless blob of green and grey, broken only by the shadows of the boulders and trees studding the landscape. 

Howard Farm didn’t need devoted attention; Howard Farm needed a goddamn torch.

Just how was Kay supposed to fix this?

Her anxiety must have shown on her face because Anne leaned across the console and took her hand.

“Listen, I’m busy most days, but when I have free time I’ll come over, maybe help you out a little. Better than sitting at home on my phone all day...” 

“I appreciate the thought, but I can’t just ask you to give up your time off…” 

“It’s not like it’d be a bother. Can’t a girl visit her baby cousin _and_ pull weeds at the same time?”

Kay cracked a smile. “You’re sure?”

“Wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t.” 

”Alright then. But just for the record: you volunteered, so I’d better not hear any complaining!” 

“Can’t promise that.” Anne put her hand over her heart, solemn as the grave. “Bitching got me through university, med school, _and_ residency. I’m not about to stop now.” 

Before Kay could retort, there was a rap on the hood. 

Kay peered through the window to find a statuesque older woman with a halo of dark curls, the ends dyed brown. Her face was stern, but the smile she gave Kay was broad and sincere. Kay found herself smiling back as she slid out of the car. 

“Dr. Anne,” the woman said. She had a smooth, lilting accent; vaguely familiar, though Kay couldn’t quite place it. She’d heard it somewhere before _—_ but where? “And the new farmer, Katherine. Welcome!”

“Oh, you can call me Kay.” 

“Kay, then. That makes things a little easier _—_ my name is Catherine as well. I'm Pelican Town’s mayor.” Catherine patted the borrowed car with a rueful smile. “Anne told me what happened with the bus. You have my apologies for that: the bus’s been rattling something awful for months now, but hardly anyone at the Zuzu City station pays attention to the Valley line outside of tourist season…”

She shook her head. “Ah, never mind. I’m just glad you made it safely, both of you.” She looked to Kay, who stood straighter under her scrutiny. “So, first things first: what do you think of the farm?”

“Oh.” Kay threw Anne a startled glance. Her cousin shrugged, and Kay gnawed her lip as she turned back to Catherine. “It’s… very lush.” 

“We can call it what it is," Catherine said, huffing a laugh. "It's an overgrown mess, but there’s good soil underneath if you’re willing to work for it.” 

“You’re too young to remember, Kit, but the farm really used to be a thing of beauty,” Anne chimed. “Featured in Pelican Valley brochures and everything.” 

(“Not that anyone reads those,” Kay heard her mutter under her breath.) 

Catherine nodded. “With some hard work and elbow grease, I think you could make it just as lovely as it used to be. As for your grandmother’s farmhouse, well. Anna and I have taken the liberty of tidying it up, but it’s… a work in progress.”

“Work in progress? That’s a nice way to put it.” To Kay’s shock, the house door swung wide open. Out stepped a woman with a toolbox dangling from one hand and a flashlight from the other. She favored them all with a lazy smile.

“Pleasure to meet you,” the woman said to Kay. She had a face made for laughter, like all the world was a joke she already knew the punchline to. “I’m Anna von Cleves.” 

“Kitty,” Kay replied. “I mean, I’m Katherine, only Anne says Kitty, but you can call me Kay _—_ ” She shook her head. “Sorry, I'm a little _—_ what were you doing in my house?” she asked, flapping her hand helplessly.

“Fixing the plumbing. Or trying to., at least.” Anna let out a long, low whistle. “I’ll tell it to you straight: I did my best, but most of your grandma’s house isn’t livable. At least, not the way it is now.” 

Anne stepped forward, frowning. “But you said _—_ ”

“I said it’d have the necessities, ‘Bo, and it does.” Anna shrugged. “The bedroom’s fine and I got the bathroom working, but I hope you weren’t planning on cooking anytime soon. The stove’s busted, the fridge is beyond saving. I hauled them out for dumping, but most of the house isn't in great shape. Especially the cellar." She shuddered. "Eurgh. No matter what happens, do _not_ go down in the cellar.”

“Why?” Kay’s hand flew to her chest. “There’s not something down there, is there?”

“Just mold and fungus, but it’s _everywhere._ I’d need a week and a truckload of disinfectant to clean that out.”

“Hold on.” Anne made a show of gesturing at the farmhouse, then back at Kay. “Let me get this straight. Kitty packed up her entire life and hauled her ass out to the middle of nowhere _—_ ”

A hot curl of humiliation licked at Kay’s cheeks. She'd been to enough Howard family gatherings to recognize the signs of a brewing Boleyn-brand shitstorm when she saw one. Under normal circumstances, she might have appreciated Anne's ferocious protective instinct. She certainly had when she was younger. But Kay was twenty-two now; old enough to fight her own battles. She couldn't keep relying on her cousin to hold her hand.

“Anne, that's enough—”

Hurricane Anne was implacable. “ _—_ on the promise that she’d have a place to live and land she could work, and you’re telling me that she might end up in my clinic with the fucking consumption because of _basement mold?”_

Catherine made an exasperated noise. Anne whirled toward her with bared teeth. “I understand your concern, but Kay couldn’t possibly get pneumonia from mold.” 

“Medically speaking, I’m gonna have to agree with you, but it’s still a fucking health concern!” Anne threw her hands in the air. “What the hell, you two?”

Anna dropped her tools, strode over, and to Kay’s absolute shock, threw her arms around Anne’s neck.

“Look,” she said, pulling a furiously-wriggling Anne into a hug. “I know it’s not what you expected, but the house was a damn health hazard before I got to it. You’d need an army of home renovators to fix the place up, make it what it used to be. I’m just one woman, and considering the time frame you and Catalina gave me? I’m damn proud of what I managed to do!”

She began to sway with Anne in her arms. “I even got the television working. Aren’t I good at my job? Come on ‘Bo, tell me I’m good at my job.” 

Anne made a noise like a screaming kettle.

Catherine made no move to separate them. She tapped her foot and gave Kay an apologetic shrug, as if this happened all the time: Anne, wily, temperamental Anne, the black sheep of the Howard line, and the only family to have ever made any indication she gave a damn about Kay's well-being, scrabbling at Anna's implacable armbar and screeching for dear life.

Kay waved a hand. "Um. Anne?"

No response. Anne had managed to worm an arm between Anna's wrist and chest, not that it helped much. Anne had always preferred her books to sports, and Kay would bet anything she was regretting it now.

"Anne...? Anna? Hello?"

The two women ignored her, grappling like children at recess. Kay scowled, and before Catherine could stop her, she stomped to them, fisted her hands in the lapels of Anne's lab coat, and _pulled._

"Oh, woah!"

 _"Yeargh!"_ Anne clung to Kay's shoulders. Anna stood frozen with her hands raised, palms open. Her cousin struggled out of her grip and straightened herself out, the fight drained out of her. "Oh, geez _—_ you're as strong as ever, huh, Kit-Kat?"

Anna whistled. "You're not secretly a bodybuilder, are you? I bet you could take 'Bo by the ankles and throw her all the way to Zuzu City!"

"Oh, Kit, please don't. The hospitals there are a nightmare."

"Alright, that's enough." Catherine clapped her hands. "Don't you two know when to stop? Play around on your own time, not when Kay still needs to get sorted out."

Anna sighed. “You're right, you're right. Sorry, Catalina, Kay: we got ahead of ourselves."

"We? That was all you, mate!" Some of Anne's trademark fire had returned to her. She was practically vibrating with tension as she glowered up at Anna and Catherine. "Back to the point: how the hell's Kay supposed to live in that shitty house?"

"Well, perhaps she could stay with you," Catherine offered. "At least, until we can arrange for a stove and fridge to be installed. The cellar, though..."

Anne seemed taken aback. She glanced at Kay. Just once, very quickly, but it told Kay all she needed to know. For once it wasn't the anxiety speaking. Kay knew, right down to her bones, that as much as Anne advocated for Kay and however willing she was to drop everything at the first sign that she was in trouble, her cousin did _not_ want Kay in her house.

Kay shook her head. "No, I don't want to impose on Anne anymore than I already am." She pretended not to see the flicker of relief that crossed Anne's face. It hurt too much, said too much. "And I don't have the money for new appliances..." She raised her hands, forestalling an intervention from Anne. "Anna, you said the bathroom and bedroom were fine, right?”

“I’d be careful what you flush down the toilet, but they’re fine, yeah.” 

“And you'd be willing to work on the house down the line?”

“Of course. It's my job. In fact, if I'd had more time,” Anna broke into a laugh, rich and warm. “A lot more time! And tools, and supplies, and maybe a few drinks, I would've had your grandmother's house as beautiful as the day it was built.” 

“That settles it, then.” Kay smiled at Anne and Catherine, the two of them radiating relief _—_ though for very different reasons, no doubt. “I’ll be alright as long as I’ve got a place to sleep and shower. I can’t be too worried about the house when the farm’s a downright mess. Once I scrape up the funds to fix the place up, I’ll just... work it out with Anna.” 

Anna laughed again, reaching out to clap Anne on the shoulder. “She’s got a good head on her shoulders, ‘Bo! I can see you weren’t as lucky.” 

“I’m _literally_ a doctor.”

“Like I said: unlucky.”

Anne pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. Kay wondered at her. She looked like Mary when she did that, worn down, world-weary. Her hair curled wild around her face and a smear of red lipstick had escaped her lips to track over her cheek, but still, she made no move to clean herself up. “But how're you going to eat, Kitty? You can't cook without a kitchen or keep food without a fridge. You can’t live off of fresh air and good vibes alone.”

“And she isn’t expected to,” Catherine said. She turned her gaze to Kay. “I’ll work something out for you until Anna can get the kitchen running. I have a hotplate you can use in the meantime. You won’t starve, not on my watch.”

“I appreciate that, thank you so much…”

“It’s the least I can do. Do you have anything to eat tonight?”

“She can eat with me,” Anne said. “I was thinking of taking her to the saloon anyway _—_ y’know, let her introduce herself.” 

Catherine nodded. “Good idea.”

“I know, right? I’m full of ‘em.” 

“You’re full of something, that’s for sure,” snickered Anna.

Catherine closed her eyes. Kay got the distinct impression that she was counting to ten.

“I’d best be going,” she said after a moment. “I want to talk to Jane. I’ll see if I can convince her to cut a deal with you,” she nodded to Kay, “and I’ll drop the hotplate off tomorrow.”

Anna raised her hand. “Ah, wait up, I’ll walk with you.” She fished in her overall pocket and tossed Kay a key ring. On it was a single key, dull and smelling strongly of brass. “There’s the key to your place. Don’t lose it! Not even Catherine’s got another copy.”

“I won’t!” 

“Good.” Anna grinned, all white teeth and dimples. She knelt and took up her tools. “Nice to meet you, Kay. I’ll see you around.”

With that, the two women strode down the road to town, heads bent together as they talked.

Anne let out a long, gusty sigh. Her hair fell over her face as she leaned against the borrowed car.  
  
"Well, you handled that a lot better than I did."

"You said it, not me." Kitty hesitantly settled in beside her. Kay bumped their elbows together when Anne didn't respond. "What happened? You don't usually lose your cool like that..." At least, not when they were younger. Kay didn't know much about Anne's quirks and habits now.

"That's just how Anna and I are. I mean, we don't wrestle like that unless it's game night at the saloon, but..." Anne trailed off. "Nah, that's a poor excuse. I'm sorry, Kit. I wish I hadn't shown you something like that. It was downright immature."  
  
"Yeah."

"Made a real ass of myself, didn't I?"

"Yup."

"I always do when I'm stressed." Anne tapped her forehead against the car with a groan. Her breath fogged up the chrome. "Again, not an excuse. I know you're stressed, too."

"Mmmn. But hey," Kay said, bumping their arms together again. She was gratified when Anne bumped back. "It all turned out alright, didn't it?"

"Thanks to you. You probably would have had it wrapped up in minutes if I'd just kept my mouth shut." Anne stretched. "Ah, alright, I'm done with the pity party." Her smile was rueful when she turned to Kay, but at least it was real. "I'll buy Anna and Madame Mayor a round of drinks when we go to eat tonight. Give them a proper apology for acting like a fool. In the meantime, let's get your stuff unpacked, yeah?"

Her smile turned feral. "Trust me. You'll be too tired to even try when we get back tonight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shoutout to anna for being pelican town's combination carpenter, plumber, electrician, and rancher. we love an impossibly talented woman.

**Author's Note:**

> [i'm on Tumblr!](https://koalathief.tumblr.com/%E2%80%9D)


End file.
